First Impression of Cover 3

When I published my most recent burger joint review on Opal Divine’s Freehouse location on 6th, a few personal friends told me, “If you liked Opal’s, you are gonna love Cover 3.” Over time, quite a few folks have commented that this spot is a “must” for my burger joint review series. Finally convinced that I needed to pay Cover 3 a visit, I was pretty excited to check this place out.

You’ll find Cover 3 at 2700 West Anderson Lane, across the parking lot from Alamo Drafthouse – Village. On the outside, Cover 3 mixes industrial and modern themes and has a nice covered outdoor patio. On the inside, I found an confusing assortment of conflicting styles. More on that in a moment.

Once through the entrance, a red, neon bar sat in front of me with counter height tables, two large flat-screen televisions and leather chairs. From her station behind the bar, the bartender greeted Brittany and me with a genuine smile. This felt slightly strange because the bar was about 30 feet away, but what new customer doesn’t appreciate a cheerful welcome?

Cover 3’s bar area exhibits a strange mix of decor choices

If the bar decor had been kept simple with the counter height tables, leather chairs, red ambient lighting and flat-screens, the interior would’ve felt cohesive. Instead, three seemingly out of place electric guitars were mounted on the wall above the bar, and two hanging wine glass racks featured a bizarre mix of odds and ends, including a football and a bottle of whiskey.

Television screens reflect off the window into the wine room – awkward?

The bar decor wasn’t funky enough to be Austiny hip, and it wasn’t elegant enough to fit in with the rest of the establishment.

Awkward decor combinations didn’t stop at the bar. On either side of the bar were two seating areas, both apportioned with spacious booths, in subdued browns and yellows. Stylish brick walls, solid wooden tables with leather seats and benches, chandelier-style lighting fixtures and a view into the wine room could all be expected from an upscale steakhouse. Right?

But then Cover 3 added more flat-screen televisions as if it were a sports bar, and had a light rock station playing in the background as if we were in an elevator. The decor and mood of the place were simply awkward.

Was Cover 3 trying to be an upscale, chic, trendsetting eatery, a game-day hangout, or a classy wine bar? It didn’t solidly land anywhere.

We arrived just after the lunch rush and there was a bit of trash and food on the floor, which was to be expected. The staff was actively cleaning, so kudos on that.

After the hostess seated us in one of the comfortable circular booths along the wall, our waiter swaggered up.

Austinot Eric’s Burger Review Criteria

If you’ve read my other articles in this series, you’ll know that I rate burger joints using a 1-10 scale, with 5 being Average. (Don’t be upset if I rate you a 5, that means you were average.)

Roughly speaking, a score of 1 translates to “worst ever,” while 10 translates to “God handcrafted this himself.” Remember, you are free to disagree with me. This is just my honest take.

Burger Joint Review: Cover 3

Bun = 7. The bun was ciabatta. Soft and an appropriate size for the burger, but it landed on the bland side. It would have received a higher mark had it been oiled or buttered on the inside.

Cheese = 4. I thought everything was bigger in Texas. Apparently not here. The “Longhorn Cheddar” barely covered half of the burger, so it didn’t add much to the meal.

Messiness = 3. Not messy in the slightest. Guess that had to do with the fact that there was hardly any cheese on the burger and – believe it or not – there were no condiments outside of salt and pepper that were included. Not even on the side.

Garnish = 4. Hard to believe that my burger came completely dry. No condiments is just a plain fail. The lettuce was fresh and the tomatoes were perhaps the best part of this burger: they were thick and juicy, with an appealing amount of firmness. The bacon was just okay, nothing to write home about.

Taste = 4. Overall, the taste was mediocre. I wasn’t impressed. With all of the folks who told me that I had to try the Cover 3 burger out for my series, I was expecting something exceptional. I’m sure some folks will disagree. Feel free to comment below with your thoughts. For me, the cheese was not substantial, the bun was bland (not oiled or buttered), and the patty lacked juiciness. On top of all that, the burger came dry without ketchup, mustard or mayo even on the side. Other than the tomatoes, the garnish didn’t cut it. To be completely uncensored, I left a third of the burger on my plate when I departed, and Brittany had even taken a couple bites out of it too.

Fries = 6. Just a tad bit thicker than shoestring fries, seasoned with parmesan cheese. They sounded good on the menu, but once again I was not impressed. The fries were cold and the parmesan seasoning lacked flavor. I’m giving an above average mark simply because fries came with the burger, a big plus in my book, and the amount of fries was substantial.

Atmosphere = 4. Cover 3 has an upscale feel to it. But the soft rock combined with electric guitars, and chic elegance surrounded by flat screen televisions, are combinations too strange for this place. Either be a Hard Rock place, a wine place, a trendy place, or a sports bar…but pick one and stick with it.

Cleanliness = 5. There was food on the floor, and we found a used straw on the seat of our booth when we sat down. But the staff was actively cleaning for the entire first half of our meal. So average marks here.

Other Factors = 3. The waitstaff can make or break an establishment. Kudos to the bartender who greeted us with a smile and said goodbye as we left. She was a sweetheart and should be commended. She was also the only staff member that did anything to make our experience enjoyable. Our server was rude, lazy and had an attitude. He had a swagger with every step. He didn’t refill our glasses once during our visit. When I asked for ketchup and mustard for my completely dry burger, he looked at the small tin of ketchup that came with my fries and said with a sneer, “You want more ketchup than that?” Really? When delivering the bill, which was $30 for a burger that I didn’t finish and a macaroni and cheese plate that was far too salty, he just tossed it on the table and kept walking. If I had been a manager and witnessed his treatment of us, I would have fired him on the spot and comped the meal for the guests. But no manager ever stopped by to see how we were. The 3 points here are for the kind bartender, the nice outdoor patio and the overabundance of free parking.

Bottom Line on Cover 3: 4.8 out of 10

Overall Score = 4.8. The overall score is the average of the 10 categories.

I’m not sure what all the hype is about. Brittany ordered the macaroni and cheese which had high reviews online. It came with one layer of macaroni at the bottom of the bowl and was too salty for her to finish. Not impressed, especially for the price.

Other than the kind bartender, nice patio, and ample free parking, this place was a bust. I think it was the only time I’ve ever left a burger unfinished during this series so far. Our waiter was horrendous: no refills during the entire meal, a huge attitude and a swagger that rivaled Jax on Sons of Anarchy.

Large serving of fries at Cover 3 Austin

With a $30 tab for no appetizers, two entrees, water with no refills, and horrible service, I highly recommend you try a different burger joint on my list instead of Cover 3. When you create an upscale ambiance and have upscale prices, the quality of the food and service has to match the upscale motif or you set yourself up for failure.

And so my…

Search for the Best Burger Joint in Austin Continues

So far, of burger joints in Austin reviewed on the Austinot, here is the scorecard:

I’d love to hear what you have to say. Do you agree or disagree with me on Cover 3?

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